Easy South Indian Beetroot Stir fry / Beetroot Thoran – Vegan, Gluten-free side dish

Beetroot Thoran aka South Indian beetroot stir fry is an easy, quick, vegan, and gluten-free side dish to pair along with rice. This stir fry takes just 15 to 20 minutes to make. I have given both a stovetop and Instant top method. I also included how to easily chop or grate the beets.

South Indian style Beetroot Stir fry

Thoran in Kerala cuisine is a stir fry with coconut. In Kerala, there are a variety of thoran or poriyal, or stir-fries. Here I give you the easiest thoran recipe made with beetroot along with coconut. You might wonder why coconut in a stir fry? The answer is simple – because we Keralites love coconut in any form in our food, lol. Not joking, you might want to Google.

Beetroot is one vegetable my kids love the most. Not sure because of its color or its sweet taste but anyway I’m a happy mom when I make a beetroot stir fry for lunch. They finish it off without making me mad.

Health benefits of beetroot

The beetroot has less calories but lots of minerals and nutrients. Let’s see what they do to our body,

They keep our blood pressure in control.

It may help fight inflammation.

It may have anti-cancer properties.

The nitrates in beets help to improve the mental and cognitive function. 

Facts from – Health line

How to chop beetroot?

Wash the beetroot and chop off the top and tail part. Peel the skin. A good peeler comes in handy for this. You can either chop it into cubes or grate it as I prefer.

I love my food processor that does this work in minutes. If you don’t want your hands pink, don’t forget to wear gloves. I don’t mind my hands turning pink unless I’m going out to meet some people.

How to make beetroot stir fry – Kerala style

Ingredients used

Stove top method

Take a pan and while it is hot add oil. Then add mustard seeds and dals. When dal turns brown add chopped onion and curry leaves. Once the onion turns translucent add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Stir for a minute and add grated beetroot. 

Cook covered in medium flame. Stir occasionally. When it’s half cooked add salt. When beetroot is cooked add grated coconut, stir for a minute. Switch off. Serve along with rice.

Instant pot method

I have tried two ways in Instant pot to make this stir fry. 

Method `1

Switch on the Instant pot. Press the saute button. Add oil to the inner pot. Add mustard seeds. While it splutters, add dal. When it turns brown, add chopped onions and curry leaves. Once the onion turns translucent, add the spice powders and saute. Then add the grated beetroot and stir. Cover with the glass lid and cook for 4 to 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. End with adding the grated coconut. Switch off the instant pot.

Method 2

In this method, I used the steamer method. Switch on the Instant pot. Add 1 cup of water. Place the steamer rack and add grated or chopped beets. Close the instant pot lid and press the pressure cook button. Set the timer for 3 minutes. Once done, let the pressure release naturally. 

Remove the steamer pot. Now you can stir fry in the stovetop method. This is so easy that you don’t have to wait for beets to cook after adding to the pan. The stir fry is made literally in 5 minutes once the beets are cooked in an Instant Pot.

Other stir fry for you

Brinjal Stir Fry

Raw banana Stir fry

Mashed potato stir fry

Potato beans Stir fry

Carrot beans Stir fry

Jackfruit stir fry

Beetroot stir fry recipe with coconut

Ingredients

Beetroot – 1 1/2 cup peeled and grated

Onion – 1/2 cup chopped

Coconut – 1/4 cup grated

Turmeric powder – 1/4 Teaspoon

Red chili powder – 1 Teaspoon

Salt – as required

Mustard seeds – 1 Teaspoon

Chana dal – 1/2 Teaspoon

Urad dal – 1/2 Teaspoon

Curry leaves – few

Oil – 1 Teaspoon

Method

Stovetop Method

• Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal. When it turns golden add chopped onion and curry leaves.
• When onion turns translucent add turmeric powder and red chili powder.
• Stir for a minute and add grated beetroot.
• Cook covered in medium flame. Stir occasionally.
• When it’s half cooked add salt.
• When beetroot is cooked add grated coconut, stir for a minute.
• Switch off. Serve along with rice.

Instant pot Method

• Switch on the Instant pot. Press the saute button. 
• Add oil to the inner pot. Add mustard seeds.
•  While it splutters, add dal. When it turns brown, add chopped onions and curry leaves. 
• Once the onion turns translucent, add the spice powders and saute. 
• Then add the grated beetroot and stir. Cover with the glass lid and cook for 4 to 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. 
• End with adding the grated coconut. Switch off the instant pot.

Notes

1. You can adjust the spice powders as per your taste.
2. You can skip the coconut if you don’t like it. 

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This post originally published on September 16,2016. Now updated with content and pictures.